Marc Andria Maurizzi and Yosha Iglesias are the new chess champions of France, both claiming their lady national titles.
This women’s championship was nothing less than a thrilling spectacle.
Conceivable champ Yosha Iglesias scratched through into the quarterfinals after edging out Marie Leconte but has gone up against fewer obstructions in the later stages. In the final she played Mitra Hejazipour.
The championship took place in Vichy from August 15 to 24, 2025. The French Chess Championship featured a 16-player knockout format for both the open and women’s divisions.
Compared to the open final, no tiebreak was needed. Following a draw in the first game, Iglesias took the win in the second to claim gold.
Anastasia Savina claimed bronze by defeating Daulyte-Cornette in a tiebreak.
Yosha Iglesias is a known face in the world of chess, as she is the second transgender woman to win a national title and the first French woman to earn a Woman International Master title.
She made history as the first transgender woman international Master last year in April after successfully achieving her fourth norm at a closed international women’s tournament in Rouen, France.
Iglesias’ path to becoming a chess player has not been a smooth ride.
She left home as a teenager in 2004 to move to Sochi, Russia, where she got training under the supervision of an International Master who had played against Mikhail Tal.
Reflecting about her career, she explained, “I was 16 and knew I was, let’s say, different. I wanted to be as far away from my parents in France as possible, and Russia was the chess capital back then.”
She continued, “After navigating restrictive circumstances, 18-year-old Yosha relocated back to France and pivoted to a career as a chess coach.
However, her modest €1,000 monthly income forced her to put her transition plans on hold, despite strongly identifying as a woman.
Finally, in 2020, Yosha opted to undergo transitioning and embrace her true self.
“My real life started when I accepted who I already was and began my transition in 2020,” she said, adding, “to be finally seen and accepted as a woman; it felt amazing.”
Yosha Iglesias' crowdfunding campaign for her transition, supported by the chess community, is a remarkable story in itself.
But soon after transitioning, Yosha even then had to face online abuse for her transgender identity.
Yosha recalled those memories: “When I became the first trans woman International Master, when I won anything, I received hundreds of insults. sometimes thousands. And I kept wondering, how do so many people in the world have the time to insult me? I’m just a chess player.”
Now, after confronting multiple fronts, Yosha aims to continue her chess dreams with added momentum and reach new heights.
She expressed her sentiments: “I’m as motivated as ever to give my energy to this fantastic game.”